Wiji Cheong looked with tense eyes at the whip stretched long across the ground.
‘Dang Myeong only overshadowed me because he was the Tang Clan’s Young Lord. Right now, Dang Myeong is nothing.’
As though warning himself inwardly, Wiji Cheong steadied his breath and looked at Dang Myeong.
The Wiji Clan was a great clan that reigned as the hegemon of Shanxi Province. Part of that was because Shanxi Province had neither the Nine Sects and One Gang nor any of the Five Great Clans, but even so, the fact that they reigned over an entire province was enough to show their strength.
Thus, while the Wiji Clan could not enter the Five Great Clans under Heaven, if one broadened the count to ten, they were a clan that always entered that rank.
That was why they had ambitions of using the recent incident with the Sichuan Tang Clan as an opportunity to enter the Five Great Clans.
The Ten Great Clans under Heaven, the Five Great Clans under Heaven...... Whether ten or five, both were certainly great clans, but for the Wiji Clan, the prestige of being one of the Five Great Clans was something they absolutely wanted.
Just then, when they heard that young Dang Myeong had become the Clan Lord of the Tang Clan, the Wiji Clan thought it worked out well and sent Wiji Cheong, who was of the same generation.
They intended to humiliate the Tang Clan and make it a laughingstock beneath heaven. However...... neither the Wiji Clan, Wiji Cheong, nor the Use Sword Master had known that Dang Myeong would abruptly request a spar.
Thinking that the only thing he lacked compared to Dang Myeong was the radiance of his clan, Wiji Cheong infused energy into his sword.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Sword Energy began rising from the blade. It was sharp and refined Sword Energy befitting a disciple of a prestigious clan.
WHOOSH!
And then…….
WHOOSH!
In an instant, Sword Aura surged from Wiji Cheong’s sword.
“Sword Aura!”
“It’s Sword Aura.”
At the appearance of Sword Aura, admiration appeared on the faces of those who knew martial arts. Sword Aura was the symbol of a peak realm expert.
“Wiji Cheong has become a peak realm expert.”
“Ha! Impressive. The Wiji Clan really came prepared this time.”
Hearing the people mutter in surprise, a triumphant smile appeared on Wiji Cheong’s face.
This one move was the reason he had accepted the spar with Dang Myeong.
“I will kill you.”
Dang Myeong looked at the Sword Aura. Then he gave a faint smile.
“For the sake of the old affection from when you used to attend to me at my side, I will say one thing.”
Flinch!
Wiji Cheong’s brows stiffened, and he said coldly, “Are you trying to beg before you die?”
Shake, shake.
Dang Myeong shook his head and lightly shook the whip.
SLITHER!
As the whip swayed, its head began to rise from the ground.
SLITHER! SLITHER!
As the tip of the whip rose like a snake, Dang Myeong smiled and extended his hand.
He stroked its head with his hand.
“Even if you raise your realm by stuffing yourself with spiritual medicines...... if there is no insight, it is only half-complete.”
WHOOSH!
And in that instant, Aura began forming over the whip.
“Whip Aura! It’s Whip Aura!”
“Young Lord Dang Myeong, no, Clan Lord Dang Myeong is a peak realm expert!”
At the Aura forming over the whip, Wiji Cheong’s face also twisted. After the Sichuan Tang Clan had been annihilated, the main house had fed him a vast amount of spiritual medicines to help him grow.
The Clan Lord’s Martial Prowess was important too, but the Clan Lord did not often leave the clan. The Young Lord, however, frequently engaged in outside activities, so they had fed him spiritual medicines to strengthen his martial arts.
That was the only way the Wiji Clan’s prestige would grow.
And yet...... Dang Myeong was a peak realm expert like him?
Looking at Dang Myeong with shocked eyes, Wiji Cheong said with a face full of mockery, “Do you think all Aura is the same Aura? Ha! To proudly bring out such a rat-tail-sized Aura and call it Aura is ridiculous beyond measure.”
At Wiji Cheong’s words, the people looked at Dang Myeong’s whip.
“That...... is small.”
The Aura on Dang Myeong’s whip barely covered it. But Wiji Cheong’s Aura covered the sword blade and surged about a handspan above it.
At the people’s murmuring, Dang Myeong smiled and said, “You talk too much. Let us begin.”
Dang Myeong crooked his finger.
“Since I am the Clan Lord...... I will yield the first move.”
“Hmph! I will make you regret it!”
WHOOSH!
In an instant, Wiji Cheong’s figure vanished and appeared on Dang Myeong’s left. Aura was the symbol of a peak realm expert.
And though the difference between a first-rate expert and a peak realm expert also lay in Sword Energy and Aura, it lay in speed and power as well. Because of the difference in internal energy, a peak realm expert could produce speed a first-rate expert could not surpass.
“Die, you bastard!”
The emotions that had been pent up until now erupted, and Wiji Cheong’s sword aimed at Dang Myeong.
At that sight, Dang Myeong smiled and formed Hand Aura over his hand.
‘I will break it.’
Dang Myeong extended his hand toward Wiji Cheong’s sword.
THWIP! THWIP!
The Sword Aura and Dang Myeong’s Hand Aura clashed. But...... Wiji Cheong’s figure staggered greatly.
Dang Myeong’s Hand Aura had struck not the front of Wiji Cheong’s Sword Aura, but the flat of the blade, pushing its force outward.
As Wiji Cheong staggered, he quickly righted himself and hurriedly swung his sword through the air.
He had swung his sword in preparation for Dang Myeong attacking the opening. But…….
WHOOSH!
The sword swung, and there was nothing there.
Dang Myeong was merely standing there, watching him.
“I yielded the first move, so…….”
Dang Myeong’s eyes turned cold.
“Now it is my turn.”
Along with the change in Dang Myeong’s eyes, his aura changed.
WHOOSH!
When Dang Myeong’s force changed, the old man who had been with the Use Sword Master flinched in surprise.
[This is a formal spar. We must not interfere.]
At the Use Sword Master’s words, the old man looked at Dang Myeong and said,
[How can a child that young have such force? That is the force of someone who has gone through many life-and-death duels.]
When the Use Sword Master said nothing, the old man hurriedly sent another voice transmission.
[This is dangerous. With that kind of force, he is someone who has experienced countless life-and-death duels. The young master cannot win.]
[If it becomes dangerous, we step in then. If we step in now, the main house’s prestige will fall.]
After speaking, the Use Sword Master looked at Dang Myeong.
‘Just what happened during this time for that boy Dang Myeong to change so much?’
While the Use Sword Master watched Dang Myeong, Dang Myeong lightly shook his hand.
SLITHER! SLITHER!
The whip moving from Dang Myeong’s hand moved softly yet eerily.
“Now, then, let us begin.”
With those words, Dang Myeong lightly shook his hand.
SLITHER!
Then the whip that had swayed from Dang Myeong’s hand was suddenly swung sharply at the end.
THWIP! THWIP!
Following Dang Myeong’s hand, the whip burst through the air and struck empty space again and again.
Then Dang Myeong swung the whip lightly.
CRACK!
Dang Myeong’s whip was swung fiercely toward Wiji Cheong.
“Haaat!”
Wiji Cheong shouted and swung his sword at the incoming whip.
“No! Eldest Young Master!”
At that, the Use Sword Master shouted in alarm. But Wiji Cheong’s sword was already cutting toward the whip.
“I will sever it!”
He intended to cut the whip in a single stroke with his Sword Aura.
SLASH!
The moment the sword touched the whip, the whip coiled around the sword as it was.
THWIP! THWIP! THWIP!
Sword Aura and Whip Aura collided, and a violent energy burst out. Bewilderment appeared on Wiji Cheong’s face.
He had thought that because the Whip Aura was weak, he could break through it and cut it in one move, but far from being cut, his sword had been wrapped by the whip.
But Wiji Cheong was not a fool either. He quickly drew his sword downward.
He intended to cut as he drew it down and pull free.
But Wiji Cheong’s face soon hardened.
SLIDE!
Before he knew it, the whip had made a loop and wrapped around Wiji Cheong’s neck.
SLITHER!
“Hurgh!”
Dang Myeong, who had wrapped it around Wiji Cheong’s neck in one motion, opened his mouth.
“Did you let your guard down?”
Dang Myeong smiled and lightly pulled the whip, and the whip wrapped around Wiji Cheong’s neck began to shrink little by little.
At that sight, Wiji Cheong’s face turned white.
Right now, Aura was formed over the whip. The instant it touched his neck, his head would be cut off.
“Release your Aura.”
At Dang Myeong’s words, Wiji Cheong hurriedly released his Sword Aura.
WHOOSH!
CRUMBLE!
Then Wiji Cheong’s sword crumbled under Dang Myeong’s Whip Aura.
No matter how treasured a sword was, it could not withstand the power of Aura.
Looking at Wiji Cheong, Dang Myeong also released his Aura and pulled the whip back.
CRACK!
“Kgh!”
As the whip was fiercely retrieved, it scraped across Wiji Cheong’s neck.
His neck was not cut off, but the wound was deep enough for blood to gush out.
“This is too bland. It seems you let your guard down, so let us try again.”
Dang Myeong smiled and swept the whip once through the air.
“Grit!”
Wiji Cheong looked at the Use Sword Master.
“Give me a sword.”
“Eldest Young Master, stopping here would be…….”
“I have not even shown my full skill yet.”
At Wiji Cheong’s words, the Use Sword Master sighed quietly and threw his own sword.
WHOOSH!
CLANG!
Wiji Cheong drew the sword forcefully and pounced at Dang Myeong.
“Hiyah!”
With a shout, he unleashed the Wiji Clan’s ultimate technique, Rising Dragon Sword Form.
THWIP! THWIP!
Seeing the Sword Energy surge again and again from below to above as though a sword were ascending to the heavens, Dang Myeong’s eyes turned cold.
Wiji Cheong was not a fool either, so he was attacking with the Sword Energy he was used to rather than his immature Sword Aura.
“Poison Dragon Ascending Whip.”
With a quiet murmur, Dang Myeong swung his whip.
THWIP! THWIP! THWIP!
In an instant, illusions of the whip surged through the air again and again.
The illusions of the whip blocked all of Wiji Cheong’s swords. No, they deflected them. They did not strike head-on, but deflected them left and right, above and below.
THWIP! THWIP!
And toward Wiji Cheong’s wide-open body, Dang Myeong’s whip was swung.
THWIP! THWIP! THWIP! SNAP, SNAP, SNAP, SNAP!
Dang Myeong’s whip struck Wiji Cheong’s entire body again and again. At the whip strikes that unfolded in an instant, a tearing scream burst from Wiji Cheong’s mouth.
“Aaagh!”
A whip did not merely strike an opponent and fall away. It struck, scraped, and passed through.
Thus, the pain could only be excruciating.
“Stop!”
The instant it seemed the Use Sword Master kicked off the ground, he snatched Dang Myeong’s whip.
SNAP!
When his whip was caught in the Use Sword Master’s hand and stopped, Dang Myeong said coldly,
“Young Master Wiji has not admitted defeat, has he?”
At Dang Myeong’s words, the Use Sword Master looked at Wiji Cheong with a hardened face. Wherever the whip had passed, his clothes had been torn and blood was flowing.
On top of that, whip marks had appeared even on his face, making him look utterly miserable.
Wiji Cheong groaned and glared at Dang Myeong.
“Kill him.”
“…….”
At Wiji Cheong’s words, the Use Sword Master’s face hardened.
“Kill him right now! Kill that son of a bitch Dang Myeong!”
At the sight of Wiji Cheong screaming, the Use Sword Master shook his head. Even if the Tang Clan’s strength had been reduced, its combat units and experts were still intact.
They could not kill Dang Myeong here. The problem, however, was...... Wiji Cheong had spoken those words aloud.
SWISH!
Just as the Use Sword Master had expected, the Tang Clan experts began stepping forward.
And at some point, the Tang Clan experts were wearing leather gloves on their hands.
SLITHER! SLITHER!
As the Tang Clan experts stepped forward with cold faces while putting on their gloves, the Use Sword Master sighed.
“The young master has been gravely injured. There will be an opportunity to speak of today’s matter later.”
At the Use Sword Master’s words, Dang Myeong said coldly, “You think you can leave like this?”
At Dang Myeong’s words, the Use Sword Master stopped short and looked at him.
“Will you stop us?”
The Use Sword Master looked at the Tang Clan experts behind Dang Myeong. There were about ten Tang Clan experts.
But with that number, they could not stop him.
At the Use Sword Master’s words, Dang Myeong looked coldly at Wiji Cheong.
“Do you think the main house will leave alone someone who shouted, in the land of Sichuan, to kill the Clan Lord of the Sichuan Tang Clan?”
At Dang Myeong’s words, the Use Sword Master’s face hardened, and Wiji Cheong’s face turned white.
Only then did he realize what he had done.
“Th-That…….”
“Clan Lord Dang, we too acknowledge that the Eldest Young Master made a mistake. However...... must the Tang Clan truly escalate matters like this now?”
He meant, would they go to war with the Wiji Clan? At the Use Sword Master’s words, Dang Myeong said with a cold face, “The Sichuan Tang Clan! Rather than be looked down upon!”
Dang Myeong shouted and glared at Wiji Cheong.
“Will die here.”
At Dang Myeong’s words, the Tang Clan experts shouted, “We will die here!”
SLITHER! SLITHER!
Before anyone knew it, hidden weapons began lining the hands of the Tang Clan experts.
At that sight, the Use Sword Master’s face hardened.
‘This place is…….’
The Use Sword Master looked at Wiji Cheong. Under the Use Sword Master’s gaze, Wiji Cheong looked at him with a stiff face.